Ice Machine Problems? Follow Our Pre-Service Call Checklist

Nearly 10% of our incoming service calls are not true ice machine performance issues at all. One of the most common issues we see are customers believing that the ice machine is broken when it can’t keep up with demand. Here are some potential explanations that can cause this:

1. Consumption is up – your customers and staff are using more ice.
2. Production is down – ice machines are designed to produce less ice when the incoming water and the surrounding air are warmer. Reducing the temperature of either or both of those conditions may solve the problem.
3. Rate of production not keeping up – water takes time to freeze into ice, so it is important to understand that filling up the storage bin takes time. We’ve had customers empty their ice bin and wonder why it isn’t full in a few hours. We’ve also had customers turn off their ice machine to save energy not realizing that by shutting off their machine for half the day, they have reduced the machine’s ice-making capacity by 50% as well.

It doesn’t happen often, but we can resolve some ice machine issues over the phone (especially if the ice machine isn't causing the issue). Here are some examples:

1. Water is building up in the bin – 99% of the time, a foreign object (like a washrag or bag) is clogging the ice storage bin’s drain.
2. Ice machine not making ice or production is low – the water source may be having problems and supplying warm water to the ice machine.

If we determine a problem that we can rectify over the phone, you'll avoid the out of program service charge.

If we can’t rectify the ice machine problem over the phone, it’s still important to give us some specific information that will help us identify what actions we should take to fix the ice machine.

Pre-Service Call Checklist

• Make sure you’re able to define the problem as accurately as possible (i.e., “ice machine not making ice” is not enough detail).
• When did you first notice the problem? Have you taken any steps to resolve the issue?
• Is there an audible error code pattern (series of beeps)?
• Is the problem a safety hazard?
• If so, what steps have you taken to minimize or eliminate the safety hazard?

Depending on what problem we’re facing, here are some common questions we may ask you:

Ice Production Problem

1. Has there been an interruption of water or power to the business?
2. Have there been any modifications to ANY part of the water system (i.e., new dishwasher, coffee maker, etc.)?
3. Is there anything stacked on top of the machine that would restrict airflow?
4. Has the temperature in the room or flow of air recently changed?

Water Leak — Identify the source of the water leak:

1. Supply Line
2. Interior of the Machine
3. Storage Bin